Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 gm OSS SEL70200GM

Fanastic Lens...This zoom has been a bug in my pocket for some time, and I finally bit and got this fantastic lens... that Lens is so versatile... What's the first thing people do with a Telephoto Lens of this caliber ? I use this Lens for my Aviation , Bird and Sport photography. I traded in my Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary for this Lens because of its internal zoom and because i don't like those heavy zoom lens that grow in length when Zooming in and out and because of the wear and tear of those moving parts moving a tube with heavy glass in it. This Lens skips all that. The Zoom is quiet and very smooth. This lens is really heavy, as one would expect. Considering what it does the Job with perfection it is very acceptable. It has a lot of features I need to look ... MoreFanastic Lens...This zoom has been a bug in my pocket for some time, and I finally bit and got this fantastic lens... that Lens is so versatile... What's the first thing people do with a Telephoto Lens of this caliber ? I use this Lens for my Aviation , Bird and Sport photography. I traded in my Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary for this Lens because of its internal zoom and because i don't like those heavy zoom lens that grow in length when Zooming in and out and because of the wear and tear of those moving parts moving a tube with heavy glass in it. This Lens skips all that. The Zoom is quiet and very smooth. This lens is really heavy, as one would expect. Considering what it does the Job with perfection it is very acceptable. It has a lot of features I need to look into further . What I do like is that big ring on the lens is the zooming ring which is in an excellent place, right where you would hold the lens when shooting compared to the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary which is ridiculously right in between the Lens and the Camera . The smaller ring is for manual focusing. Question, is it sharp? Yes, it is very sharp. The pictures I took of detailed objects show extremely good sharpness for a zoom lens. I took photos ranging from the Airplanes, Helicopters, the moon, birds in flight and other moving objects with it and love it but for panning it's very tiring due to it's Weight. I wish Sony could focus on the Weight factor also for it's future lens , please. All very good and even handheld, the lens performed greatly. The images stabilization built in the lens does a great job when hand-held the camera and lens . While this lens is a 200-600mm lens for a full frame Sony camera, it becomes a 300-900mm lens when hooked up to a Sony a6000 series of crop sensor cameras and with the Teleconverter 1.4x and 2x it becomes respectively 280-840 mm and 400-1200mm which is outstanding for Aviation Photography. That can come in handy for those needing to reach way out there for a photo. I am very happy with this lens. It fits in nicely in my Lowepro Protactic Light Professional 450 AW II backpack with my 70-200 f2.8 GM ( with internal zooming too ) and my 24-70mm f2.8 Zoom lenses . I would say the price is too high, but it is worth it as it works perfectly with my Sony A9 snd A7S camera. Zooming is fantastic and focusing is fast and spot on... my only great disappointment is the Pouch bag that comes with the Sony 200-600mm which i expected to be a GM padded Pouch when i unboxed it . I wished Sony could look after his loyal Customers like me by sending them Sony Apparels e.g Sony Baseball Caps or Bennies , giving them discounts and more for spending so much money on their highly expensive Cameras and Lenses like the 200-600mm but Worth it ...

70-200MM GM -- a great optics in good deal.

About 6 weeks ago, I bought this Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM from Best Buy for a good deal, $800 cheaper than the GMII version. Attached to my Sony A9 and 7R4, I used this lens on my photography tour in Utah. This lens was useful for me to take action photos during my trip. The lens provides images with excellent clarity, sharpness and low distortion. I also liked its bokeh. Its focusing speed and accuracy are good, but not as good as my 24-70mm GMII. I also know it's a bit heavier than the 70-200mm F2.8 GMII.

Exceptional lens for a keen price

There is an f2.8 and an f4 version of this lens. There is a stop of difference. It will cost you $1000 to get back to 2.8. Because it's a 70-200mm, I don't expect to be shooting in lightless, enclosed spaces as I do with my 24-70mm f2.8, so going with the f4 is fine. These days, with the expanded range of noiseless ISO's, compensate for the lost stop by increasing your ISO instead. You can shoot clean at 3200 and pretty much up to 5000, thus making the stop difference a very small issue. This lens is considerably lighter than the 2.8, so you won't be using it to increase muscle mass, but carrying it around for punched-in close-ups is not unlike carrying the 24-70mm 2.8 for weight. It's not a problem unless you're a terrible cry-baby. Images are very clean, a UV is ... MoreThere is an f2.8 and an f4 version of this lens. There is a stop of difference. It will cost you $1000 to get back to 2.8. Because it's a 70-200mm, I don't expect to be shooting in lightless, enclosed spaces as I do with my 24-70mm f2.8, so going with the f4 is fine. These days, with the expanded range of noiseless ISO's, compensate for the lost stop by increasing your ISO instead. You can shoot clean at 3200 and pretty much up to 5000, thus making the stop difference a very small issue. This lens is considerably lighter than the 2.8, so you won't be using it to increase muscle mass, but carrying it around for punched-in close-ups is not unlike carrying the 24-70mm 2.8 for weight. It's not a problem unless you're a terrible cry-baby. Images are very clean, a UV is recommended for lens protection (I went with a B+W), and auto-focusing is swift. The design and build is super-pro, lens bag is thick and firm, and bokeh is attractive, even from corner to corner. I'm not capable of forensically examining the pixels or obsessively measuring edge focus. Having just tinkered with and refined a number of RAW images with my ON1 PHOTO RAW program, I'm very happy with this purchase. Surely the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 will be next for consideration. My ongoing work interviewing entertainment-related subjects necessitates a broad range of focal perspectives.

Extraordinary resolution; slow autofocus

For my photography the two characteristics most important for a lens are resolution and speed/accuracy of auto focus. My camera is the Sony A7RM2.The f2.8 GM 70-200 mm lens arrived a week ago and I subjected it to resolution tests, and compared it with several other SONY lenses, including the outstanding FE G 90 mm Macro lens.Overall the lens proved to be extremely sharp, even wide open, across its range of focal lengths and across the frame. 2 Point type and even a 0.5 point width line (located within 20% of the left and right edges of the target) are resolved at f3.5-f4 and still identifiable at f2.8. At both 70 mm and 200 mm the lens performs at its best; near 100mm it is slightly less sharp. Center resolution is extraordinary from f4 and excellent at most ... MoreFor my photography the two characteristics most important for a lens are resolution and speed/accuracy of auto focus. My camera is the Sony A7RM2.The f2.8 GM 70-200 mm lens arrived a week ago and I subjected it to resolution tests, and compared it with several other SONY lenses, including the outstanding FE G 90 mm Macro lens.Overall the lens proved to be extremely sharp, even wide open, across its range of focal lengths and across the frame. 2 Point type and even a 0.5 point width line (located within 20% of the left and right edges of the target) are resolved at f3.5-f4 and still identifiable at f2.8. At both 70 mm and 200 mm the lens performs at its best; near 100mm it is slightly less sharp. Center resolution is extraordinary from f4 and excellent at most focal lengths, even at f2.8. At the frame corners resolution is outstanding above f3.5 and still near excellent at f2.8 except aound 100 mm focal length where it resolves somewhat less below f4.As reported by others, my first photography with this lens shows that it is not ideal for fast focusing applications. It often takes too much time to focus even in moderately good light. Avoiding the FULL focus range speeds action considerably. Color and contrast are quite good, qualitatively and bokeh is IMO excellent.I plan to add to this review after more experience with this lens and especially after I receive the 2X teleconverter. Right now I rate the lens 4 stars.

Lightweight Great

I upgraded from the mark 1 version to this lens and am so happy I did.I’m a video shooter and the iris ring is a great feature . The lens is so light and super super sharp. Paired with the FX6 it produces excellent images for sit down interview setups and for capturing sports action . Focus is lightning fast and so precise .I’m very happy with this lens .

Phenomenal Quality Optics

I own this and the 24-70 GM. This lens is actually a lot sharper than the 24-70 GM. What's most amazing about this is how it's not too heavy but robust, and has stabilization built in.I've used this lens in extreme environments. Both hot and cold. It also has stayed in my bag in my trunk through scorching hot Connecticut summers. No fog, discoloration, or fungus through all of that. I've used it countless times for fast paced dance showcases with both my A9 and my A7iii. Focusing is quick and accurate. I did have an issue with it focusing with my A7iii at one point but that was corrected with a firmware update to the lens which I received for free on Sony's website.I love the white color with the orange G badge on it. This is one of those lenses that when you ... MoreI own this and the 24-70 GM. This lens is actually a lot sharper than the 24-70 GM. What's most amazing about this is how it's not too heavy but robust, and has stabilization built in.I've used this lens in extreme environments. Both hot and cold. It also has stayed in my bag in my trunk through scorching hot Connecticut summers. No fog, discoloration, or fungus through all of that. I've used it countless times for fast paced dance showcases with both my A9 and my A7iii. Focusing is quick and accurate. I did have an issue with it focusing with my A7iii at one point but that was corrected with a firmware update to the lens which I received for free on Sony's website.I love the white color with the orange G badge on it. This is one of those lenses that when you take it out of your bag and mount it on your camera, you can feel everyone's perception of you in the room change. There's obviously a professional present. The tripod collar can be rotated and even detached from the body. Filter thread is 77mm so a variable ND is going to be moderately priced. I also photograph boats and other landscape scenery. This performs wonderfully and I can't wait to get the 2x teleconverter for some extended reach.All in all I would definitely buy this lens again. For in depth details about how accurate this thing is there's websites out there that can show you this. I love it and the color is phenomenal.

Quality build and and sharp details!

This lens is a true workhorse! It’s weight takes a bit of getting used to if you’ve only shot mirrorless but for those that crossed over from a DSLR it’s bearable. Sharp details won’t disappoint and fast focus can keep up with higher frame rates for sports. There’s cheaper lenses out there but they’re all lacking in some way like use of a teleconverter, cheaper build quality or falling short on focal length. If you’re a pro or working your way up this lens will not disappoint.

Sharp and powerful lens with a big price tag

This is an incredibly sharp and fast lens. The bokeh is buttery smooth and provides a nice separation between the subject and the background. I also own 24-70GM which is an excellent lens but this 70-200GM easily edges out in sharpness and bokeh. I love the focus hold buttons on the barrel that I have programmed to eye-AF. Another thing I love is that the zoom mechanism is housed inside of the barrel so when zooming in, the already long lens doesn't protrude any further which will definitely make it imbalanced and uncomfortable while hand-holding.It works really well for portraits as well as nature photography, especially flowers and animals. Sports is another area where this lens just shines.This is my first time using 200mm focal length (outside of a Bestbuy ... MoreThis is an incredibly sharp and fast lens. The bokeh is buttery smooth and provides a nice separation between the subject and the background. I also own 24-70GM which is an excellent lens but this 70-200GM easily edges out in sharpness and bokeh. I love the focus hold buttons on the barrel that I have programmed to eye-AF. Another thing I love is that the zoom mechanism is housed inside of the barrel so when zooming in, the already long lens doesn't protrude any further which will definitely make it imbalanced and uncomfortable while hand-holding.It works really well for portraits as well as nature photography, especially flowers and animals. Sports is another area where this lens just shines.This is my first time using 200mm focal length (outside of a Bestbuy store anyway) so I was somewhat disappointed when I couldn't get far away subjects to fill the frame. I was expecting to be able to zoom in much further. But that is purely on me due to lack of prior experience with 70-200's. I will be purchasing a 2X extender in the future.Lastly, like all GM lenses, this is an expensive piece of glass. It took more than a year to save up for this beast and I am really glad that I finally have it in my collection. With zero regrets, I can easily recommend this lens to anyone who values high quality images.

Super Versatile Telephoto Lens

I'm amazed by the versatility of this lens. I can get great portrait shots in addition to action, sports, and landscape. I originally bought the step down with the higher apature but couldnt get the best shots. The 2.8 on this lens is a true difference maker for sure. Id highly recommend spending yhe extra dollars here to upgrade. For me its been well worth it.

Too heavy

I bought this lens in my first year of owning the Sony A7riv and it was exciting to use then. It's now coming up to my 2nd year and I'm thinking of selling it due to the excessive weight. Used it for about 3 hours one weekend and was left with a very sore neck and shoulders for 2 weeks! I would also like more reach such as 400mm now that the 200 doesn't seem far enough. The mark 2 version seems to have better autofocus and aot less heavy.